Cloak of Shadows
 

I was thinking of a new cool unique artifact-Cloak of Shadows.

Makes a unit ethereal, 100 cr, and gives them stealth.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

You forgot to add a drawback http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

jazzepi

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Just add in the old faithful drawback, it severely horror marks them.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

It is a unique constr 8 artifact. It is not overpowered without a drawback.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Not overpowered? There's a reason that no items add stealth. That and a Black Heart mean you can turn anything into an assassin. Even SC's that can take out most armies by themselves, so that even if they are caught it doesn't matter as much.

Too overpowered imo.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

There would only be 1 in the game is my point. Unique artifacts are supposed to be game changing. Look at the chalice. Obviously if there could be more than 1 of them in the game it would be overpowering.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

I don't think it is too overpowered. You want to protect against assaasins, travel around with a group of extra indie comanders. The chance of a powerfull Sc being targeted will be rare. Plus after an assasination the assasins location has been given away, and can be mind hunted, or patrolled and found.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Give it -6 to MR or something... You've become one with shadows, but you've moved partly into the Astral plane to do so... And you're very exposed there.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

I also don't think that as a unique it would be overpowered without a drawback. But the minus to MR does sound fair. It would be a cool item.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

I don't think giving an SC stealth would make it overpowered. So it can go assassinating with the black heart, so what? It would do more damage if it didn't, probably.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Yeah, I've never bought the allowing a SC stealth will break the game argument.

If an SC is capable of taking armies, why waste his time assassinating (most likely, since the target is random) cheap mages and commanders.

Though, I'd prefer the cloak not give anything other than stealth. That would mean, with a cloak and the black heart, you've got 2 less slots to give your assassin defenses with.
Giving ethereal and cold resistance makes it a decent item even without the stealth.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Giving stealth comes up often. If any item is put in the game that gives stealth then I promise I will abuse the crap out of it. The stacking to keep in mind is an item giving stealth when added to the Black Heart giving assassin abilities. Gift of Reason? Tartarian Gate?

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

One more-reasonable thing I would like to see is some way to increase stealth on commanders that already have it. Via items or experience levels, let them get a little stealthier!

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

But so what?

How will you abuse it?

(Especially an artifact, so you can only get one.)

So you've got a Tartarian Assassin. What will you do with him that'll "abuse the crap out of it"? With 2 slots filled, he's going to be more vulnerable than an equivalent non-Assassin SC.
You can only assassinate once a turn, more likely every other turn to avoid getting caught by patrolling armies designed to stop him. (And if your Assassin can take out the patrolling armies, why are you assassinating and not just conquering.)
And since targets are picked randomly, most of the time you'll be killing low-level mages and cheap commander chaff.

It'd be a useful tool, but I don't see how it'd be game-breaking.
Maybe if you could spam Tartarian Assassins.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

I would much rather have level 6 item that increases stealth
that an artifact that turns an unit stealthy. SC Assassins
remind me of my ex-girlfriend. :-)

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

A stealth increasing item would be good.

I'd also like experience to increase stealth for those that have it: My starting scout has been hiding in enemy territory for 3 years so he's now better at fighting, but no less likely to be caught? Silly.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

I think it could be an interesting item http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif -6 MR is probably too much of a drawback. The default counter to an SC is to hit it with something that checks MR.

And if it's an artifact there would be only one in exsistance anyways.

Jazzepi

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Thinking on it some more, a stealthy SC is mighty powerful. Drop a pair of Winged Shoes on there, and he becomes a raiding powerhouse.

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

Drawbacks are not used to balance items, it is used to drawback unique items, and therefore make them fun. Thus most items should have drawbacks. We don't like unfun items after all http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

An assassin, no matter how powerful, can't kill more than one commander/turn. IMHO a stealthy, flying SC would be insane, for the same reason as BigDisAwesome. Heliophagii are evil, especially if you've scouted/spied/Eyes of the God'ed out where the enemy is bloodhunting/making sages/researching/has rich provinces/has lots of magic sites. Only castles protect against stealthy SCs, and you can't castle all your provinces...

Re: Cloak of Shadows
 

an sc is hard to stop, but a stealthed 1, and there would be only 1, is not unbalancing. Have those sages cast communion,
let them have a few astral pearls, cast northern light, and spam paralyze/soul slay.

That sc may die. When he attacks, his position is revealed, mind hunt and other spells will target him before he can leave the province.

In the Epic Heroes Game, there is an immortal assassin for Machaka. Not only a stealthy assassin, but an immortal one as well. He has not had a large impact on gameplay for the reasons outlined above.